Working of IP security :
Packet Check:
- When a computer wants to send data over the internet, it checks if it should use IPsec for secure transmission.
- The sender decides whether to encrypt the data, and the receiver checks if incoming packets are properly encrypted.
IKE Phase I:
- The two communicating computers authenticate each other to establish a secure channel.
- There are two modes:
- Main Mode: Provides higher security.
- Aggressive Mode: Faster, but slightly less secure.
Secure Channel Negotiation:
- The established secure channel is used to discuss how the data will be encrypted during transmission across the network.
IKE Phase II:
- The computers negotiate the specific cryptographic algorithms to be used for the session.
- They agree on secret keys for these algorithms.
Data Exchange:
- Now, data is exchanged securely through an IPsec encrypted tunnel.
- The packets are encrypted by the sender and decrypted by the receiver using Security Associations (SAs).
Session Termination:
- Once the communication is completed or if the session times out, the IPsec tunnel is terminated.
- Both computers discard the keys, ensuring that future communication will require re-authentication.